Multi-purpose ear apparatus for measuring electrical signal from an ear

ABSTRACT

An ear apparatus may comprise one or more of a housing, an electrode, a biometric sensor, a speaker driver, and/or other components. The housing of the ear apparatus may be configured to be attached to an ear. The electrode may be carried by the housing. The electrode may be configured to measure an electrical signal from the ear. The electrical signal may include a reference signal, a ground signal, or a bias signal. The biometric sensor may be carried by the housing. The biometric sensor may be configured to measure one or more biometric characteristics from the ear. The speaker driver may be carried by the housing. The speaker driver may be configured to produce sound.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of United States ProvisionalApplication No. 63/346,348, entitled “SYSTEM, METHOD, COMPONENT, ANDINTERFACE OF HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY (HMD),” which was filed on: May 27,2022, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of measuring anelectrical signal from an ear using an ear apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Sensors that acquire biometric data from a person's head may require anelectrical reference that is not affected by different electricalsignals coming from the head. The electrical reference may be acquiredfrom a part of the person that does not have brain or muscle activity,such as the person's ear(s). However, placing sensor(s) on the person'sear(s) may prohibit the person from using headphones.

SUMMARY

This disclosure relates to an ear apparatus. The ear apparatus maycomprise one or more of a housing, an electrode, a biometric sensor, aspeaker driver, and/or other components. The housing of the earapparatus may be configured to be attached to an ear. The electrode maybe carried by the housing. The electrode may be configured to measure anelectrical signal from the ear. The electrical signal may include areference signal or a ground signal. The biometric sensor may be carriedby the housing. The biometric sensor may be configured to measure one ormore biometric characteristics from the ear. The speaker driver may becarried by the housing. The speaker driver may be configured to producesound.

In some implementations, the biometric sensor may include aphotoplethysmography sensor.

In some implementations, the housing may include a flexible portion madeof conductive polymer. The flexible portion of the housing may beconfigured to contact back, earlobe, and/or mastoid of the ear when thehousing is attached to the ear. The electrical signal may be measuredfrom the back, the earlobe, and/or the mastoid of the ear. In someimplementations, the flexible portion of the housing may be curved andelongated.

In some implementations, the flexible portion of the housing may be theelectrode configured to measure the electrical signal from the ear. Insome implementations, the electrode configured to measure the electricalsignal from the ear may be inside the flexible portion of the housing.

In some implementations, the ear apparatus may further comprise anelectrical connector. The electrical connector may be carried by thehousing. The electrical connector may include a first contact for thereference signal, a second contact for an audio signal, and a thirdcontact for the ground signal, and/or a fourth contact for a biassignal.

In some implementations, the housing may include a first body piece anda second body piece. The first body piece and the second body piece maybe connected via a hinge. The electrode may be carried by the first bodypiece, and the biometric sensor may be carried by the second body piece.The electrode may be further configured to inject a bias signal into theear. The electrode carried by the first body piece of the housing may beconfigured to contact a first side of an earlobe when the housing isattached to the ear. The biometric sensor carried by the second bodypiece of the housing may be configured to contact a second side of theearlobe when the housing is attached to the ear.

These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the systemand/or method disclosed herein, as well as the methods of operation andfunctions of the related elements of structure and the combination ofparts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent uponconsideration of the following description and the appended claims withreference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of thisspecification, wherein like reference numerals designate correspondingparts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however,that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and descriptiononly and are not intended as a definition of the limits of theinvention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singularform of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example ear apparatus.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example ear apparatus.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example ear apparatus connected to a headgear.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flexible ear apparatus.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example two-piece ear apparatus.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method for utilizing an ear apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to an ear apparatus. The ear apparatusmay comprise one or more of a housing, an electrode, a biometric sensor,a speaker driver, and/or other components. The housing of the earapparatus may be configured to be attached to an ear. The electrode maybe carried by the housing. The electrode may be configured to measure anelectrical signal from the ear. The electrical signal may include areference signal or a ground signal. The biometric sensor may be carriedby the housing. The biometric sensor may be configured to measure one ormore biometric characteristics from the ear. The speaker driver may becarried by the housing. The speaker driver may be configured to producesound.

Augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) devices, such as headgearwith head-mounted display, may require headphones (e.g., over-earheadphones, on-ear headphones, earbud headphones, in-ear headphones) tohear the sounds coming from the devices. Use of headphones may allow theusers to hear the sounds with higher fidelity than when the sounds areproduced through speakers embedded in the AR/VR devices. Sensors thatacquire physiological data from a person's head may require anelectrical reference that is not affected by different electricalsignals coming from the head. The electrical reference may be acquiredfrom a part of the person that does not have brain or muscle activity,such as the person's ear(s). The ear(s) may be far enough away from thebrain or facial muscles to add noise to the system.

This poses a problem as placement of sensor(s) on the person's ear(s)may prohibit the person from using headphones, such as over-earheadphones. Additionally, headphones may introduce an audio signalin/near the ear(s), which may negatively impact the quality of thereference signal measured from the ear(s).

The present disclosure provides a multi-purpose ear apparatus toovercome the above and other deficiencies. The multi-purpose earapparatus provides multiple functionalities, such as measuringelectrical signals (e.g., reference signal, ground signal) from the ear,producing sound(s), and/or measuring biometric characteristic(s) of theperson from the ear(s). The multi-purpose ear apparatus may combine theaudio, electrical, and/or biometric connections into a single device. Toeliminate/reduce the noise coming from audio signals, the wires of themulti-purpose ear apparatus may be shielded.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example ear apparatus 100. The ear apparatus 100may comprise one or more of a housing 102, an electronic storage 104, anelectrode 106, a biometric sensor 108, a speaker driver 110, and/orother components. The housing 102 may refer to a device (e.g., casing,shell) that covers, protects, and/or supports one or more components ofthe ear apparatus 100. The housing 102 may include a single-piecehousing or a multi-piece housing. References to the housing of an earapparatus may refer to the ear apparatus, and vice versa.

The housing 102 of the ear apparatus 100 may be configured to beattached to an ear. The housing 102 being configured to be attached toan ear may include the housing 102 having physicalattributes/characteristics that enables the housing to be attached to(e.g., worn on, carried by, affixed to, clipped to, hang from) the ear.For example, one or more parts of the housing 102 may be shaped to beattached to the ear or inserted into the ear canal.

The housing 102 may carry one or more components of the ear apparatus100. The housing 102 may carry (be attached to, support, hold, and/orotherwise carry) one or more of the electronic storage 104, theelectrode 106, the biometric sensor 108, the speaker driver 110, and/orother components. In some implementations, the housing 102 may carrymultiple electronic storage, multiple electrodes, multiple biometricsensors, multiple speaker drivers, and/or multiples of other components.Other configurations of ear apparatus are contemplated.

The electronic storage 104 may be configured to include an electronicstorage medium that electronically stores information. The electronicstorage 104 may store software algorithms, information determined by oneor more processors, information received remotely, and/or otherinformation that enables the ear apparatus 100 to function properly. Forexample, the electronic storage 104 may store information relating tothe ear apparatus 100, information relating to components of the earapparatus 100, information relating to reference signal, informationrelating to ground signal, information relating to bias signal,information relating to biometric characteristics, information relatingto sound, and/or other information.

The electrode 106 may refer to an electric conductor. The electrode 106may refer to a conductor through which electricity may enter or leave.The electrode 106 may include electrically conductive material(s). Theelectrode 106 may be configured to measure one or more electricalsignals from the ear. The electrode 106 measuring an electrical signalfrom the ear may include the electrode 106 acquiring, ascertaining,conducting, obtaining, receiving, transferring, and/or otherwisemeasuring the electrical signal from the ear. The electrode 106 maymeasure the electrical signal(s) for another device, such as thebiometric sensor 108, other sensors, and/or processor(s). In someimplementations, the electrode 106 may be part of another device, suchas a sensor.

The electrode 106 may measure electrical signal(s) generated by the ear,electrical signal(s) traveling through the ear, and/or other electricalsignal(s) in/on the ear. The electrical signal(s) may be generated fromone or more parts of the body. The electrical signal(s) measured by theelectrode 106 may include a reference signal, a ground signal, and/orother electrical signals.

The reference signal may refer to a standard signal against which othersignals acquired from the body are compared. The reference signal mayrefer to a standard measurement from which measurements from biometricsensors (e.g., biometric sensors on the ear apparatus 100, biometricsensors on a headgear) are compared. The signals/measurements acquiredfrom the body may be compared to the standard signal/measurementprovided by the reference signal measured from the ear to produceoutputs. For example, the reference signal measured from the ear (e.g.,earlobe) may be used as a reference for electroencephalographymeasurements.

The ground signal may refer to a signal that provides the referencepoint/ground for electrical devices. The ground signal may refer to asignal that provides a reference point from which voltages are measured.The ground signal measured from the ear may be used as electrical groundfor operations of the ear apparatus 100 and/or an electrical device(e.g., headgear) connected to the ear apparatus 100.

The electrode 106 may be configured to inject one or more electricalsignals into the ear. The electrode 106 injecting an electrical signalinto the ear may include the electrode 106 applying, driving,introducing, passing, transferring, and/or otherwise injecting theelectrical signal into the ear. The electrode 106 may inject electricalsignal(s) generated by another device, such as the ear apparatus 100and/or an electrical device (e.g., headgear) connected to the earapparatus 100.

For example, the electrode 106 may be configured to inject a bias signalinto the ear. The bias signal may refer to a signal that counters noisein the body for biometric sensor measurements. For example, multipletypes of biometric signals may be measured using multiple biometricsensors (e.g., biometric sensor(s) on the ear apparatus 100, biometricsensor(s) on electrical devices, such as a headgear, connected to theear apparatus 100). The biometric signals measured by differentbiometric sensors may be compared to identify noise that is common tothe biometric signals, such as common-mode interference. The commonnoise signal may be inverted (e.g., by the ear apparatus 100, by theheadgear) to generate the bias signal. The bias signal may be injectedinto the ear to reduce/eliminate the noise (e.g., common-modeinterference) in the body.

In some implementations, the same electrode may be used to measuredifferent types of electrical signals from the ear. For example, thesame electrode may be used to measure different biometriccharacteristics of a person from the person's ear at different times. Insome implementations, different electrodes may be used to measuredifferent types of electrical signals from the ear. For example,separate electrodes may be used to measure different biometriccharacteristics of a person from the person's ear(s) at the same time.

In some implementations, the same electrode may be used to measureelectrical signals from the ear and to inject electrical signals intothe ear. For example, the same electrode may be used to measure theground signal from the ear at one or more moments in the time and toinject the bias signal into the ear at other moments in time. Forinstance, a signal multiplexer may be used to offer the flexibility ofeither connecting to ground or injecting the bias signal based on theamount of environmental noise.

In some implementations, different electrodes may be used to measureelectrical signals from the ear and to inject electrical signals intothe ear. For example, one electrode may be used to measure an electricalsignal from the ear and another electrode may be used to inject the biassignal into the same or different ear. For instance, the referencesignal may be measured from one ear while the bias signal may beinjected into the other ear via two separate electrodes. The groundsignal may be measured from one ear while the bias signal may beinjected into the same ear via two separate electrodes.

The biometric sensor 108 may refer to a sensor that measures biometricdata of a person, such as the biometric characteristics of the person.Biometric data of a person may refer to data/information relating tophysical and/or behavioral characteristics of the person. Biometric dataof a person may include physiological data of the person. Physiologicaldata may refer to data/information about a person's bodily functions,such as heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, cortisol level,palmar sweat, and eye tracking. The biometric characteristics of aperson may include physical and/or behavioral characteristics of theperson. The biometric characteristics of a person may includephysiological characteristics of the person. Other types of biometricdata are contemplated. The biometric sensor 108 may include one or moresensors. The biometric sensor 108 may include multiple sensors of thesame type. The biometric sensor 108 may include different sensors ofdifferent types.

The biometric sensor 108 may be configured to measure one or morebiometric characteristics from the ear. The biometric sensor 108measuring a biometric characteristic from the ear may include thebiometric sensor 108 acquiring, ascertaining, conducting, obtaining,receiving, transferring, and/or otherwise measuring the biometriccharacteristic from the ear. The biometric sensor 108 may be configuredto measure a biometric characteristic from the ear electrically,optically, and/or through other techniques. The biometriccharacteristic(s) may be measured from the ear and/or from materials onthe ear. The biometric sensor 108 may output signals that convey,reflect, and/or otherwise indicate the measured biometriccharacteristic(s). The biometric sensor 108 may include one or moreelectrodes. In some implementations, the biometric sensor 108 mayinclude a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, electroencephalography(EEG) sensor, electromyography (EMG) sensor, electrodermal activity(EDA) sensor, electrooculogram (EOG) sensor, functional near-infraredspectroscopy (fNIRS) sensor, motion sensor (e.g., accelerometer,inertial measurement unit, gyroscope), image sensor (e.g., camera),sound sensor (e.g., microphone), temperature sensor, and/or othersensors.

The speaker driver 110 may refer to an audio device for producing sound.The speaker driver 110 may refer to an audio device that convertselectrical energy (e.g., audio signals) into mechanical wave energy(e.g., sound waves). The speaker driver 110 may include one or moretransducers that produce sound. The speaker driver 110 may be a part ofa speaker. The speaker driver 110 may be configured to produce sound.For example, the speaker driver 110 may be configured to convert audiosignals into sound waves to produce sound. In some implementations, theaudio signals may be obtained from a headgear with a head-mounteddisplay. For example, a person may be wearing a headgear with ahead-mounted display attachment to see AR/VR content. The AR/VR contentmay include audio content. The audio signals conveying the audio contentmay be converted by the speaker driver 110 into sound. Production ofother sounds is contemplated.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example ear apparatus. The ear apparatus mayinclude an earpiece A 200 and an earpiece 220 B. The earpiece A 200 andthe earpiece 220 B may be configured (e.g., shaped) to be attached todifferent ears (left ear, right ear). The earpiece A 200 may include ahousing 202, which may carry a reference electrode 206, a biometricsensor 208, a speaker driver 210, and/or other components. The referenceelectrode 206 may be configured to measure a reference signal from oneear. In some implementations, the reference signal may be measuredcontinuously via the reference electrode 206. The biometric sensor 208may be configured to measure biometric characteristic(s) from the ear.The speaker driver 210 may be configured to produce sound.

The earpiece B 220 may include a housing 222, which may carry aground/bias electrode 226, a biometric sensor 228, an speaker driver230, and/or other components. The ground/bias electrode 226 may beconfigured to measure a ground signal from the other ear. In someimplementations, the ground signal may be measured periodically via theground/bias electrode 226. The ground/bias electrode 206 may beconfigured to inject a bias signal into the other ear. The biometricsensor 228 may be configured to measure biometric characteristic(s) fromthe other ear. The speaker driver 230 may be configured to producesound.

The earpiece A 200 and the earpiece 220 B may be connected to a headgear250 via one or more electrical connections 240. The electricalconnection(s) 240 may be shielded. The electrical connection(s) 240 maybe contained within a wire harness. The earpiece A 200 and the earpiece220 B may exchange information with the headgear 250 via the electricalconnection(s) 240. For example, the earpiece A 200 may transmitinformation on the reference signal and/or biometric characteristic(s)measured by the earpiece A 200 to the headgear 250 via the electricalconnection(s) 240. The earpiece B 200 may transmit information on theground signal and/or biometric characteristic(s) measured by theearpiece B 220 to the headgear 250 via the electrical connection(s) 240.The headgear 250 may transmit information on sound to be produced by thespeaker driver 210 to the earpiece A 220 via the electricalconnection(s) 240. The headgear 250 may transmit information on sound tobe produced by the speaker driver 230 to the earpiece B 220 via theelectrical connection(s) 240. The headgear 250 may transmit informationon the bias signal to be injected into the ear through the ground/biaselectrode 226 to the earpiece B 220 via the electrical connection(s)240. Exchange of other information is contemplated.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example ear apparatus 310 connected to a headgear320. The ear apparatus 310 may include one or more of an electrode, abiometric sensor, a speaker driver, and/or other components. The earapparatus 310 may be attached to an ear. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the ear apparatus 310 may be attached to the left ear of a person. Theelectrode of the ear apparatus 310 may be configured to measure one ormore electrical signals from the ear. The electrical signal(s) mayinclude a reference signal, a ground signal, and/or other electricalsignals. The electrode of the ear apparatus 310 may be configured toinject one or more electrical signals, such as a bias signal, into theear. The biometric sensor of the ear apparatus 310 may be configured tomeasure one or more biometric characteristics from the ear. The speakerdriver of the ear apparatus 310 may be configured to produce sound. Theear apparatus 310 may be connected to the headgear 320 through one ormore electrical connections 330 (e.g., wire(s)). The electricalconnection(s) 330 may be shielded. The electrical connection(s) 330 maybe shielded to reduce/eliminate the noise in the information conveyedvia the electrical connection(s).

The ear apparatus 310 may transmit information to the headgear 320 viathe electrical connection(s) 330. For example, the ear apparatus 310 maytransmit the electrical signal(s) measured via the electrode of the earapparatus 310, the biometric characteristic(s) measured via thebiometric sensor of the ear apparatus, and/or other information to theheadgear 320 via the electrical connection(s) 330. The headgear 320 maytransmit information to the ear apparatus 310 via the electricalconnection(s) 330. For example, the headgear 320 may transmitinformation defining audio content, information defining bias signal tobe injected into the ear, and/or other information to the ear apparatus310 via the electrical connection(s) 330.

The ear apparatus 310 may facilitate functions/operations of theheadgear 320. For example, information exchanged between the earapparatus 310 and the headgear 320 via the electrical connection(s) 330may facilitate functions/operations of the headgear 320. For instance,the headgear 320 may include a head-mounted display, one or moresensors, and/or other components. The head-mounted display of theheadgear 320 may be configured to present visual content, such as ARcontent and/or VR content. The AR content and/or the VR content mayinclude audio content (e.g., voice, music, song). The informationdefining the audio content may be transmitted from the headgear 320 tothe ear apparatus 310 and the ear apparatus 310 may produce sound sothat the person can hear the audio content from the ear apparatus 310while watching the visual content on the head-mounted display.

The sensor(s) of the headgear 320 may be configured to acquireelectrical signal(s) and/or optical signal(s) from the face to measureone or more biometric characteristics of the person. The electricalsignal(s) (e.g., reference signal, ground signal) measured via theelectrode of the ear apparatus 310 may be transmitted to the headgear320 via the electrical connection(s) 330 for use in processing thebiometric characteristic(s) measured by the sensor(s) of the headgear320. The biometric signals measured via the sensor(s) of the headgear320 may be compared to the reference signal measured by the earapparatus 310 to produce outputs that indicate the biometriccharacteristics of the person. The ground signal measured by the earapparatus 310 may be used as the electrical ground for thesensors/components of the headgear 320. Noise in the biometric signalsmeasured by the sensor(s) of the headgear 320 may be inverted togenerate a bias signal, and the bias signal may be injected into the earby the ear apparatus 310 to reduce/eliminate noise (e.g., common-modeinterference) from the acquisition of biometric signals. The earapparatus 310 may facilitate other functions/operations of the headgear320.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , in some implementations, the housing 102 mayinclude one or more flexible portions. The shape of a flexible portionof the housing 102 may be changed without breaking. For example, aflexible portion of the housing 102 may be bent without breaking. Theshape of the flexible portion(s) of the housing 102 may be changed tofit the ear on which the housing 102 is attached to the ear, such asbeing carried by or worn on the ear. In some implementations, theflexible portion(s) of the housing may be curved and elongated. Use ofother shapes is contemplated.

Some or all of the flexible portion(s) of the housing 102 may be made ofconductive polymer. Conductive polymer may refer to one or morematerials that conduct electricity. Conductive polymer may allowelectrical signals to travel from the ear for measurement. In someimplementations, the conductive polymer may be coated with one or morematerials (e.g., silver/silver-chloride) to reduce electrical impedance.For example, conductive polymer may be made of a flexible, conductivematerial, such as silver powder in a silicone matrix, or graphite in a3D printed UV resin. Conductive polymer may be treated with additionalconductive coatings, such as silver/silver-chloride, to further increaseits signal quality by reducing the electrical impedance between thepolymer and the skin. Use of other types of conductive polymer/materialis contemplated.

The flexible portion(s) of the housing 102 may be configured to contactthe back, earlobe, mastoid, and/or part(s) of the ear when the housing102 is attached to the ear. The electrical signal may be measured by theelectrode 106 from the back, the earlobe, the mastoid, and/or otherpart(s) of the ear. The electrical signal may travel from the ear andthrough the conductive polymer of the flexible portion(s) of the housing102 for measurement.

In some implementations, the flexible portion(s) of the housing 102 maybe the electrode 106 configured to measure the electrical signal fromthe ear. That is, the electrode 106 that measures the electrical signalfrom the ear may be the flexible portion(s) of the housing 102. Theconductive polymer of the flexible portion(s) may be used to measure theelectrical signal from the ear. In some implementations, the electrode106 configured to measure the electrical signal from the ear may beinside the flexible portion(s) of the housing. That is, the electrode106 may be surrounded by, buried within, or otherwise contacting theconductive polymer of the flexible portion(s) and may measure theelectrical signal that travels to the electrode 106 via the conductivepolymer of the flexible portion(s).

In some implementations, the ear apparatus 100 may further comprise oneor more electrical connectors. An electrical connector may refer to anelectromechanical device used to create an electrical connection betweendifferent electrical devices. An electrical connector may be used tocreate an electrical connection between the ear apparatus 100 and one ormore other electrical devices, such as a headgear as shown in FIG. 3 .In some implementations, the electrical connector(s) may be shaped likean electrical plug used for audio and/or visual information exchange,such as a 3.5 mm TRS audio jack. Use of other shapes is contemplated.

The electrical connector(s) may be carried by the housing 102. Theelectrical connector(s) may include one or more contacts for one or moresignals. For example, the electrical connector(s) may include a firstcontact for a reference signal, a second contact for an audio signal, athird contact for a ground signal, a fourth contact for a bias signal,and/or other contacts. The contact(s) may be used to transferinformation (e.g., electrical signals, audio signals, informationconveying biometric characteristics) between the ear apparatus 100 andthe electrical device(s) to which the ear apparatus 100 is connected viathe electrical connector(s). For example, multiple contacts of anelectrical connector may be used to transfer audio signal information(e.g., left and/or right channel audio), reference signal information,ground signal information, bias signal information, and/or otherinformation.

In some implementations, the same contact may be used to transferdifferent types of information. For example, the same contact may beused to transfer information defining reference signal, ground signal,audio signal, bias signal, and/or biometric characteristics, atdifferent times. In some implementations, different contacts may be usedto transfer different types of information. For example, separatecontacts may be used to transfer information defining reference signal,ground signal, audio signal, bias signal, and/or biometriccharacteristics at the same time.

In some implementations, the audio component(s) and sensor component(s)of the ear apparatus 100 may be separated. For example, rather thancarrying the speaker driver 110, the housing 102 may carry a femaleaudio port via which an audio device may be electrically connected. Thehousing 102 may include one or more portions to which the audio devicemay be physically connected. For example, flexible portion(s) of thehousing 102 may be configured to be wrapped around an earbud tomechanically hold it in place, and the earbud may be electricallyplugged into the housing 102 via the female audio port.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flexible ear apparatus 400. The earapparatus 400 may include an earbud 410, a hook 420, a wire 430, and ajack 440. The hook 420 may be flexible. The hook 420 may be placedaround a person's ear to position the earbud 410 in the person's ear.When the hook 420 is placed around the person's ear, a section 422 ofthe hook 420 may contact the ear to create a reference.

The hook 420 may include conductive polymer. For example, one or moreportions of the hook 420 may be over molded with a flexible conductivepolymer. For instance, the section 422 of the hook 420 may includeconductive polymer. The section 422 of the hook 420 may be an electrodeor may include an electrode within. An electrical signal (e.g.,reference signal, ground signal) may be measured via the contact of thesection 422 with the back, the earlobe, and/or the mastoid of the ear.

The jack 440 may be used to electrically connect the ear apparatus 400with another electrical device. For example, the jack 440 may be used toelectrically connect the ear apparatus 400 with a headgear. Informationmay be exchanged between the ear apparatus and the electrical device viathe jack 440. For example, the jack 440 may include a contact for audiosignal, and audio signal may be transmitted from the headgear to the earapparatus 400 for playback via the jack 440. The jack 440 may includeone or more contacts for a reference signal, a ground signal, and/orother signals measured via the section 422 of the hook 420, and thesignal(s) measured by via the section 422 may be transmitted from theear apparatus 400 to the headgear for processing via the jack 440. Thejack 440 may include a contact for a bias signal to be injected into theear by the ear apparatus 400. The jack 440 may include other contacts,such as for system ground or shield.

While the ear apparatus is shown with a single jack in FIG. 4 , this ismerely as an example and is not meant to be limiting. The ear apparatusmay include one or more wires, one or more jacks, one or more plugs(e.g., male plug(s) and/or female plug(s)), and/or other electricalconnector(s) to enable exchange of information between the ear apparatusand other electrical device(s).

Referring back to FIG. 1 , in some implementations, the housing 102 mayinclude multiple body pieces. For example, the housing 102 may include afirst body piece, a second body piece, and/or other body pieces. Thebody pieces of the housing 102 (e.g., the first body piece and thesecond body piece) may be connected via one or more hinges. The hinge(s)may include spring(s) and/or other mechanisms to bias the connected bodypieces into a particular configuration. For example, two body pieces maybe connected via a spring loaded hinge, which may bias the two bodypieces into a closed position.

One or more electrodes and/or one or more biometric sensors may becarried by one or more of the body pieces of the housing 102. The sametype of electrode or same type of biometric sensor may be carried onmultiple body pieces of the housing 102. Different types of electrode ordifferent types of biometric sensor may be carried on multiple bodypieces of the housing 102. For example, the electrode 106 may be carriedby one body piece of the housing 102 and the biometric sensor 108 may becarried by another body piece of the housing 102. The electrode 106carried by body piece of one body piece of the housing 102 may beconfigured to contact one side of an earlobe or another part of the earwhen the housing 102 is attached to the ear. The biometric sensor 108carried by another body piece of the housing 102 may be configured tocontact another (e.g., opposite) side of the earlobe when the housing102 is attached to the ear. When the housing 102 is attached to (e.g.,clipped onto) the ear (e.g., the earlobe), the electrode 106 and thebiometric sensor 108 may be positioned to make measurements fromdifferent sides of the ear (e.g., opposite sides of the earlobe). Whenthe housing 102 is attached to (e.g., clipped onto) the ear (e.g., theearlobe), the electrode 106 may be positioned to inject an electricalsignal (e.g., bias signal) into one side of the ear (e.g., one side ofthe earlobe) while the biometric sensor 108 may be positioned to makemeasurements from the other side of the ear (e.g., opposite side of theearlobe). The ear apparatus 100 with multiple body pieces may furthercomprise one or more electrical connectors, one or more wires (e.g.,wire harness), and/or other components.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example two-piece ear apparatus 500. The earapparatus 500 may include a body piece 510 and a body piece 520,connected via a hinge 530. FIG. 5 may show views of the ear apparatus500 in an open position. The body piece 510 and the body piece 520 maybe biased into a closed position. The body piece 510 may include abiometric sensor 540, and the body piece 520 may include an electrode550. When the ear apparatus 500 is attached to (e.g., clipped onto) theear, the biometric sensor 540 and the electrode 550 may contact the earto make measurements. When the ear apparatus 500 is attached to the ear,the electrode 550 may contact the ear to inject one or more electricalsignals (e.g., bias signal) into the ear. Other configurations andplacements of biometric sensors and electrodes are contemplated. The earapparatus 500 may include components not shown in FIG. 5 , such as oneor more wires and/or one or more connectors, such as described withrespect to the ear apparatus 400 shown in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 illustrates method 600 for utilizing an ear apparatus. Theoperations of method 600 presented below are intended to beillustrative. In some implementations, method 600 may be accomplishedwith one or more additional operations not described, and/or without oneor more of the operations discussed. In some implementations, two ormore of the operations may occur substantially simultaneously.

At operation 602, an electrical signal may be measured from an ear viaan electrode carried by an ear apparatus. The electrical signal mayinclude a reference signal or a ground signal.

At operation 604, one or more biometric characteristics may be measuredfrom the ear via a biometric sensor carried by the ear apparatus.

At operation 606, sound may be produced via a speaker driver carried bythe ear apparatus.

Although the housing 102, the electronic storage 104, the electrode 106,the biometric sensor 108, and the speaker driver 110 are shown in FIG. 1as single entities, this is for illustrative purposes only. One or moreof the components of the ear apparatus 100 may be contained within asingle device or across multiple devices. The components of the earapparatus 100 may be physically and/or wirelessly connected. Anycommunication medium may be used to facilitate interaction between anycomponents of the ear apparatus 100. One or more components of the earapparatus 100 may communicate with each other through hard-wiredcommunication, wireless communication, or both.

Although the system(s) and/or method(s) of this disclosure have beendescribed in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what iscurrently considered to be the most practical and preferredimplementations, it is to be understood that such detail is solely forthat purpose and that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosedimplementations, but, on the contrary, is intended to covermodifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood thatthe present disclosure contemplates that, to the extent possible, one ormore features of any implementation can be combined with one or morefeatures of any other implementation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ear apparatus, comprising: a housingconfigured to be attached to an ear; an electrode carried by thehousing, the electrode configured to measure an electrical signal fromthe ear, the electrical signal including a reference signal or a groundsignal; and a biometric sensor or a speaker driver carried by thehousing, the biometric sensor configured to measure one or morebiometric characteristics from the ear, the speaker driver configured toproduce sound; wherein: the housing includes a flexible portion made ofconductive polymer; the flexible portion of the housing is configured tocontact back, earlobe, and/or mastoid of the ear when the housing isattached to the ear; and the electrical signal is measured from theback, the earlobe, and/or the mastoid of the ear.
 2. The ear apparatusof claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor includes a photoplethysmographysensor.
 3. The ear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion ofthe housing is the electrode.
 4. The ear apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe electrode is inside the flexible portion of the housing.
 5. The earapparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion of the housing iscurved and elongated.
 6. An ear apparatus, comprising: a housingconfigured to be attached to an ear; an electrode carried by thehousing, the electrode configured to measure an electrical signal fromthe ear, the electrical signal including a reference signal or a groundsignal; a biometric sensor or a speaker driver carried by the housing,the biometric sensor configured to measure one or more biometriccharacteristics from the ear, the speaker driver configured to producesound; and an electrical connector carried by the housing, theelectrical connector including a first contact for the reference signal,a second contact for an audio signal, a third contact for the groundsignal, and/or a fourth contact for a bias signal.
 7. The ear apparatusof claim 6, wherein the biometric sensor includes a photoplethysmographysensor.
 8. An ear apparatus, comprising: a housing configured to beattached to an ear; an electrode carried by the housing, the electrodeconfigured to measure an electrical signal from the ear, the electricalsignal including a reference signal or a ground signal; and a biometricsensor or a speaker driver carried by the housing, the biometric sensorconfigured to measure one or more biometric characteristics from theear, the speaker driver configured to produce sound; wherein: thehousing includes a first body piece and a second body piece, the firstbody piece and the second body piece connected via a hinge; theelectrode is carried by the first body piece; and the biometric sensoris carried by the second body piece.
 9. The ear apparatus of claim 8,wherein the electrode is further configured to inject a bias signal intothe ear.
 10. The ear apparatus of claim 9, wherein: the electrodecarried by the first body piece of the housing is configured to contacta first side of an earlobe when the housing is attached to the ear; andthe biometric sensor carried by the second body piece of the housing isconfigured to contact a second side of the earlobe when the housing isattached to the ear.
 11. The ear apparatus of claim 8, wherein thebiometric sensor includes a photoplethysmography sensor.
 12. A methodfor measuring one or more signals from an ear, the method comprising:measuring an electrical signal from an ear via an electrode carried byan ear apparatus, the electrical signal including a reference signal ora ground signal; and measuring one or more biometric characteristicsfrom the ear via a biometric sensor carried by the ear apparatus; orproducing sound via a speaker driver carried by the ear apparatus;wherein: the ear apparatus includes a flexible portion made ofconductive polymer; the flexible portion of the ear apparatus isconfigured to contact back, earlobe, and/or mastoid of the ear when theear apparatus is attached to the ear; and the electrical signal ismeasured from the back, the earlobe, and/or the mastoid of the ear. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein the biometric sensor includes aphotoplethysmography sensor.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein theflexible portion of the ear apparatus is the electrode.
 15. The methodof claim 12, wherein the electrode is inside the flexible portion of theear apparatus.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible portionof the ear apparatus is curved and elongated.
 17. A method for measuringone or more signals from an ear, the method comprising: measuring anelectrical signal from an ear via an electrode carried by an earapparatus, the electrical signal including a reference signal or aground signal; and measuring one or more biometric characteristics fromthe ear via a biometric sensor carried by the ear apparatus; orproducing sound via a speaker driver carried by the ear apparatus;wherein the ear apparatus further carries an electrical connector, theelectrical connector including a first contact for the reference signal,a second contact for an audio signal, a third contact for the groundsignal, and/or a fourth contact for a bias signal.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the biometric sensor includes a photoplethysmographysensor.
 19. A method for measuring one or more signals from an ear, themethod comprising: measuring an electrical signal from an ear via anelectrode carried by an ear apparatus, the electrical signal including areference signal or a ground signal; and measuring one or more biometriccharacteristics from the ear via a biometric sensor carried by the earapparatus; or producing sound via a speaker driver carried by the earapparatus; wherein: the housing includes a first body piece and a secondbody piece, the first body piece and the second body piece connected viaa hinge; the electrode is carried by the first body piece; and thebiometric sensor is carried by the second body piece.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the electrode is further configured to inject a biassignal into the ear.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein: the electrodecarried by the first body piece of the ear apparatus is configured tocontact a first side of an earlobe when the ear apparatus is attached tothe ear; and the biometric sensor carried by the second body piece ofthe ear apparatus is configured to contact a second side of the earlobewhen the ear apparatus is attached to the ear.
 22. The method of claim19, wherein the biometric sensor includes a photoplethysmography sensor.